13 Transmission control units

13 Transmission control units Transmission control units 13

Innovative Technologies for

Transmission Control Units 13
Key to Product success
Rudolf Stark
Bernhard Schuch
Continental AG

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13 Transmission control units
Introduction
The market for automatic transmissions continues
to grow. In addition to what originally attracted in-
terest in the product – enhanced driver conve-
nience – the prospect of greater fuel efficiency is
now a further factor in their favor. Continental has
been offering transmission control units (TCU) since
1982 (Figure 1), starting with those for simple
three-gear conventional automatic transmissions
(for Renault), followed by all-wheel applications
(for Ford) in 1985, CVT applications (Audi Multitron-
ic) in 1999, truck applications (Eaton) in 2000, and
arriving at the double clutch transmissions in wide-
spread use today. At present Continental Business
Unit Transmission is technology leader worldwide
in the market for transmission controls for the full
spectrum of automatic drives.
Continental offers the full
product portfolio
The products offered by Continental BU Transmis-
sion are exclusively customer-specific solutions.
Depending on the installation situation, a basic
distinction is made between stand-alone solu-
tions, attached-to and integrated control units. As
Figure 1 History of Continental transmission control units
192
Transmission control units 13
a rule, stand-alone control units (external solu-
tions) do not contain any sensors. They are not
installed on or in the transmission. An external so-
lution of this kind, suitably installed in the vehicle
as a separate electronic box under relatively mod-
erate ambient conditions (temperature, vibra-
tion), usually takes the form of a printed circuit
board (PCB) assembly. The components are sol-
dered, in their own packaging, to a circuit board
for application temperatures not exceeding
+125 °C. The attached-to control units are built
into the transmission and are thus designed to
withstand vibration loads comparable to those the
transmission itself must stand up to. They can also
tolerate higher temperatures than a stand-alone
control unit. In the case of attached-to control
units, sensors and actuators are generally con-
nected to the control unit via a cable harness. The
highest level of integration is achieved by mecha-
tronic transmission control solutions. In this case,
the mechanical components, hydraulics and elec-
tronics, with sensors and actuators, are integrated
into one unit. This has the advantage of reducing 13
system and installation costs and of making it pos-
Figrue 2 DQ200 transmission control unit for Volkswagen
sible to already test the complete transmission
unit (transmission and control unit) at the trans-
fewer cables and contacts and plug junctions. Inte- hardware but also of offering its customers the
mission works prior to installation. There is also a
grated control units have even higher demands in complete low-level and functional software for
higher degree of system reliability as there are
terms of vibration resistance and, above all, us- all the application fields cited. This is a further
ability at high temperatures. The temperature on unique selling proposition compared to the com-
the substrate may get as high as +180 °C, therefore petition and one that is crucial. The acquisition
special substrates – made, as a rule, of a ceramic- of former competitors Motorola Automotive
based material – are used. The semiconductor and Siemens VDO has given the BU Transmission
components themselves are bonded directly onto a preeminent market position and made Conti-
such substrates as chip, without any own package, nental far and away the unchallenged market
by electrical conductive adhesives. As a rule pack- leader. Continental covers a large share of
aged components cannot be used under such en- the worldwide market for double clutch trans-
vironmental conditions due to problems in heat missions! The product DQ200 serves as an ex-
dissipation and vibration resistance. Installation ample of an integrated transmission control
directly into the transmission additionally forces unit, i.e. a control unit built right into the trans-
to higher requirements in terms of the sealing and mission. It was designed for the seven-gear dry
resistance to media. All told the solution ap- double clutch transmission used by the custom-
proaches listed cover applications like: er VW (Figure 2). It is managed by means of a
32-bit microcontroller. All transmission sensors
 Conventional stepped automatic transmissions
(e.g. for temperature, rotational speed and path
 CVT (continuous variable transmission) detection) are integrated into the control unit. It
operates within an application temperature
 DCT (double clutch transmission)
range between -40 °C and +140 °C. The actuators
 AMT (automatic manual transmission) managed by it include eight valves as well as a
brushless excited electric motor for an oil pump.
 Shift-by-wire functions
All connections outwards are grouped together
Continental can credit itself with the singular ad- in an 11-pole plug.
vantage of realizing the control units not only as
Schaeffler SYMPOSIUM 2010 SchaefflerSYMPOSIUM 2010 193
13 Transmission control units
Platforms and Key
Technologies
Mechanical platforms
Continental makes use of basically three mechani-
cal platforms for its transmission control units (Fig-
ure 3): one platform based on leadframes and two
with flexible printed circuits (FPC) for connecting the
substrate to the sensors and actuators. All basic
structures use ceramic substrates. For optimum
heat dissipation, the substrate is glued directly
onto a metal base plate. The platforms differ es-
sentially in how the sensors and valves are con-
nected to the main substrate. In the case of the
leadframe solution, the signals and currents are
conducted via metal leadframes. This offers techni-
cal advantages – e.g. in terms of ampacity – but
also disadvantages in terms of flexibility and ame-
nability to modification. As intermediate poly-
imide-based connections, flexible printed circuits
have the advantage of more easily allowing for
modification. If the positioning of a sensor module
will be changed, for example, only the appurtenant
flexible printed circuit board needs to be changed.
Figure 3 Mechanical platforms for realization of integrated transmission control
units
194
Transmission control units 13
The main housing can remain unchanged. The two
platforms differ in the number of FPCs: in the first
Ceramic substrates Integrated transmission
controls with Continental
case several flex circuits are used, while in the 2nd
case only one common flex circuit is used. Con-
In the case of integrated transmission control units,
temperatures well over +150 °C can occur locally
thickfilm substrate technology
crete customer projects are realized by means of on the component or the substrate, combined with
one of these solutions or a combination of them vibration loads of up to 50 g. These loads are much Substrates in LTCC and DCB technology are pur-
best suited to satisfying the specific requirements. too high for most packaged semiconductor compo- chased from external suppliers. Continental has
nents. For this reason assembly solutions involving been developing and producing thickfilm sub-
Substrate platforms ceramic substrates and nonpackaged semiconduc- strates in-house since 1972 and is thus a leader in
tor components are used. In contrast to its com- the field of complex thickfilm circuits. Thanks to
The choice of the right substrate has a major im-
petitors, Continental has the complete know-how, the consequent advanced development of in-
pact on the success of the product. The functional-
series production experience and access to all house technology and the development of inno-
ity of the transmission control unit is realized in the
three ceramic technologies of interest and eco- vative solutions it has remained possible up to
configuration of components, their wiring and
nomic advantage as concerns the realization of the present day to satisfy the demands in the
their interconnection technology on one or several
transmission control units (Figure 4). area of transmission controls. Insofar as the prin-
substrates. The substrate has a crucial influence on
cipal users of thickfilm technology (e.g. manufac-
the size of the control units as well as on their elec- 1. Thickfilm substrates
turers of sensor modules) employ mainly analog
tric properties and their costs. A distinction is made
2. LTCC (low-temperature cofired ceramic) sub- circuit technology in their products, Continental
between organic substrates (printed circuit boards,
strates had to realize both analog circuits and digital cir-
PCBs) and ceramic substrates.
cuits as well as power stages within their thick-
3. DCB (direct copper bonding) substrates
film substrates for transmission applications. For
Printed circuit board technology
(PCB)
Every ceramic substrate technology has specific
advantages and disadvantages as regards the
the sake of a better understanding of this in-
house thickfilm substrate solutions, Figure 5 13
implementation of digital and analog circuit shows an example of an integrated transmission
PCB solutions are used both for stand-alone con-
parts and also circuit parts with high power dis- control unit: the thickfilm circuit of the product
trol units and, in part, for attached-to control
sipation. As customer requirements differ from DQ200. The product at outset is an aluminum ox-
units. Here Continental is able to draw on the full
product to product, the selection of the opti- ide ceramic material (with a thickness of approx.
range of PCB technology possibilities available
mum substrate solution for the specific product 0.6 mm), onto which conductor lines, resistors
on the market: rigid,
is always very important. Having at its fingertips and dielectrics are applied by screen printing and
flexible and flex-rigid.
all relevant technologies, as well as series pro- then fired. Resistors can be very exactly trimmed
Operation tempera-
duction experience with them, Continental is to tolerance by means of laser cutting. Removing
tures are typically in
able to realize every specific customer require- resistor material (incisions in the film) by means
the range from -40 °C
ment with optimized substrate technology. In of a focused laser beam, the cross-section of the
to +125 °C. Standard
this way, the customers obtain the best technical resistor is reduced or its effective length extend-
PCBs (having between
solution in each case. ed. This has the effect of boosting the electric
four and eight layers),
resistance. Once the
of a kind used for oth-
substrate has been
er automotive elec-
completed, glue with a
tronic products as
high silver content is
well, are mainly used.
applied by means of
Furthermore specific
stencil printing and
solutions for operation
the substrate is popu-
temperatures as high
lated with semicon-
as about +140 °C or for
ductor chips – so-
particularly high-den-
called bare dies, or
sity wiring are also
components without
employed. A clear
their own packaging –
characteristic of such
and with passive com-
solutions are packaged
ponents like capaci-
components assem-
tors and coils.
bled by means of suit-
able soldering tech- Finally the signal con-
niques. Figure 4 Platform of available ceramic substrate technologies nections on the chips
Schaeffler SYMPOSIUM 2010 SchaefflerSYMPOSIUM 2010 195
13 Transmission control units
Figure 5 Substrates on the basis of thickfilm technology populated with components and interconnections by
means of wirebonding (product DQ200)
are bonded onto the pads of the substrate using
gold wirebond interconnections (with a diame-
ter 25 - 50 μm) and the power components are
bonded on with Al wirebond interconnections
(with a diameter 125 - 400 μm, depending on
amperage).
Driving forces for
transmission
control technologies
Customer-dominated
requirements
Motivated by continually rising requirements of
the performance of transmission controls, Conti-
nental is pushing ahead with new technologies.
The goal is the integration of more functions
with a concomitant reduction in volume and
weight, and a further increase in quality and reli-
ability. Pump and motor control and similar
functions push the current values to be transmit-
ted up to 60 A, as well as increasing the corre-
sponding power dissipation. This has conse-
quences for the substrate technology but also
196
Transmission control units 13
sealing or housings. Transmission oils differ from
customer to customer and from product to product.
Furthermore, the transmission oil also undergoes
changes over the service life of the respective trans-
mission control, meaning that the material proper-
ties have to be retested for all changes. The reliabil-
ity limits have to be redetermined and ensured.
Insofar as very specific combined electronic loads
generally apply during service (temperature + vibra-
Figure 6 Thermal image of the circuit with peak tion + influence of oils + …), it is essential that all
temperatures of up to +180 °C relevant fault mechanisms have to be known.
Alternative solutions have to be developed in the
Temperature profile of a passenger car transmission case that the right material and packaging solutions
application (typical data) are not available for a new product. Examples of in-
Ambient Time in % Duration in h novations of this kind in the area of materials and
temperature processes will be presented in the next section.
in °C
135 ... 150 1% 70 New components pose
120 ... 135 15 % 1050 challenges and provide
20 ... 120 64 % 4480 driving force
-20 ... 20 10 % 700
A key driving force for new solutions in electronic
13
for the heat dissipation. Complex electromag- -40 ... -20 10 % 700 packaging results from the diversity of new compo-
netic compatibility (EMC) solutions are needed nent configurations. The functional demands that
Table 1 shows typical values for a transmission con-
to cope with the rise in operating frequencies up transmission controls must fulfill are often realized
trol developed by Continental for passenger car ap-
to 200 MHz and more. To give an idea of custom- in the form of more highly integrated silicon chips.
plications with ambient temperatures of up to
er specifications in the case of transmission con- Contingent on advances in semiconductor technol-
+150 °C. Because of the additional heat loss of the
trols, temperature profile requirements will be ogy, this involves miniaturized structures on the
components, the peak component temperature is
discussed below. semiconductors. The semiconductor manufactur-
much higher, as the corresponding thermal image
ers themselves push ahead with chip shrinking
An increasing critical issue is the demand for lon-
ger service life combined with simultaneously
shows (Figure 6).
The high temperatures are a major challenge for the
steps of this kind to increase the number of chips
per wafer and, in this way, to lower per-chip costs.
rising service temperatures. Nowadays a service
life of 6000 to 8000 hours is targeted for passen-
BU Transmission. Solutions previously applied in
electronic packaging of transmission controls are
A consequence of this development is that the in-
troduction of a new semiconductor generation
ger car products in series production and of up
to and of up to 42 000 hours for commercial ve-
now up against the
physical and/or chemi-
hicle products. These requirements are defined cal limits of the materi-
in performance specifications in the form of load als used. Material prop-
profiles/temperature profiles (also called mis- erties at higher
sion profiles), with data on the ambient temper- application tempera-
ature and the respective time fraction in per- tures are often not ex-
centage (see table). Due to component power actly known and have
dissipation, especially in the power output stag- to be tested and quali-
es, the temperatures at some points on the TCU fied for suitability in ex-
substrate are actually much higher and may panded temperature
even get up to 180 °C. Within product develop- ranges. Without doubt
ment Continental has to select suitable materi- there is not sufficient
als and implement new concepts that are capa- data on the impact of
ble of withstanding these peak temperatures. material exposure to
The same applies to the much higher reliability transmission oils – e.g. Figure 7 Detail of a photo of a transmission control unit with a 32-bit microcontroller
requirements deduced from these other factors. for materials used for chip
Schaeffler SYMPOSIUM 2010 SchaefflerSYMPOSIUM 2010 197
13 Transmission control units Transmission control units 13

generally means that Continental receives silicon
chips with far more I/Os and more tightly dimen-
sioned pads. This has dramatic effects for the as-
sembly of such chips on the substrates. Figure 7
illustrates the impact of new components using
the example of the 32-bit microcontroller, a central
element in transmission controls.
The 32-bit microcontroller chips used in the trans-
mission controls produced nowadays have approx.
200 to 250 pads on the chip with a pitch of 80 μm
and with pad dimensions of 65 x 65 μm². The cor-
responding microcontrollers for products in devel-
opment already have 300 to 400 pins with a now
reduced pitch of 60 μm and current pad sizes of
just 52 x 52 μm². Comparable miniaturizations in
component dimensions are also to be found, of
course, in the passive parts.
chip is adequately cooled nonetheless, con-
crete improvements in the thermal adhesive
were necessary (material with a higher degree
of thermal conductivity or application of a thin-
ner film of thermal conductive adhesive).
This list of fields where advanced developments in
electronic packaging were needed in the case of
the microcontroller chip on a thickfilm substrate
underscores how necessary it is to pursue new ap-
proaches to solutions in the domain of substrate
and interconnection technologies.
Continental
innovations ensure
Figure 8 Test substrate for conductive adhesive
interconnections of new component shapes
for use in transmission controls (detail)
 Qualification of new materials generally for
service temperatures of up to +175 °C
test methods to the requirements for transmis-
sion controls.
As an example for innovations in the area of sub-
strate and interconnection technology, new devel-
opment results on the miniaturization of thickfilm
ceramic circuits will be presented below.
As already discussed, new semiconductor com-
ponents with high pin counts require adapted
conductor line widths and spaces on the sub-
strate. Due to the fluxion of the thickfilm pastes
during the firing process, there are process limi-
tations for conductor lines and spacings that can
be obtained. Under high-volume conditions,
minimum line widths of 150 μm and spacings of
100 μm can be realized with gold paste. These
structures are too coarse for the higher pin

To be capable of offering product solutions, Conti-

nental must constantly respond to the effects of
new component solutions and push ahead with ap-
propriate advanced developments in the area of
electronic packaging. In the case of the aforemen-
tioned microcontroller chip, the following adapta-
tions were required for the introduction of the new
microcontroller into new TCU products:
1. At the beginning of control development, it
was no longer possible to wirebond the smaller
pads on the chips with the 25 μm thick wire
employed at the time. A reduced wire thick-
ness was required; new materials and process
qualifications had to be carried out.
2. All the requisite interconnections had to be
bonded down from the chip to the substrate.
To ensure stability, the permissible wire length
for the thinner wire had to be considerably
shortened. As a consequence of this, the bond
pad pitch for the bonding wires on the sub-
strate and the conductor widths also had to be
reduced (in the case at hand 150 μm). Ad-
vanced development of the substrate technol-
ogy was also necessary as this new require-
ment went beyond what was possible with
screen printing process used up till then for
fine conductor lines.
3. In integrated transmission controls from Conti-
nental, thermal conductive adhesive is gener-
ally used to mount the ceramic substrates on
the housing plate. As a rule, higher integration
at the silicon chip level also results in greater
power dissipation density. To ensure that the
technical solutions In Continental’s BU Transmission new material
count chips of the future. In the case of more ex-
tensive requirements, additional dielectric lay-
and competitiveness solutions of this kind are routinely tested and
qualified on test assemblies suitable for this pur-
ers and a second metallization layer will have to
be included.
The technical innovations cited and optimum test-
pose. By way of example, Figure 8 illustrates test
setups used in qualifying new conductive adhe- Continental’s new laser structuring solution avoids 13
ing and technical qualifications are crucial to Conti- sive materials together with new component these process-related limits. Instead of direct
nental’s success. To further bolster this edge, work packaging shapes. The goal is to ensure that screen printing of the tracks, these areas are first
on new solutions is constantly under way. There is the new components
a demand for technical solutions that can find their themselves as well
way into concrete products in a foreseeable time as their conductive
range, that can be realized in high-volume manu- adhesive interconnec-
facturing and that are also certain to be accepted tions are up to with-
by the customers. Continental’s preeminent mar- standing product-rele-
ket position in certain product segments (e.g. DCT) vant temperature
must also be maintained in the face of rising prod- requirements (up to
uct demands – advanced technologies are a solu- +200 °C) and very high
tion here. vibration require-
ments.
The following Continental solutions can be cited as
examples of current innovations in the area of new All material develop-
materials: ments must be ac-
companied by a char-
 New high-temperature-resistant housing materials
acterization of these
 Special types of metallization on silicon chips for new materials deter-
highly reliable wirebonding (capable of with- mined by means of
standing high temperature loads of up to +175 °C appropriate analytic
for at least 10 000 h) methods and facili-
ties. The Continental
 Improved thermal heat-transfer materials to
BU Transmission has
enable an effective heat flow from the component
purposefully expand-
to the housing base plate
ed its own analytic
 Improved materials for the electrical connections and test competence,
of components to the substrate, e.g. electrical focusing on thermal
Figure 9 Comparison of conventional thickfilm technology with gold conductors
conductive adhesive materials and high- and chemical analysis realized with screen printing technology (left) and with the new process of
temperature-resistant wirebonding materials and adapting specific laser structuring of gold conductors (right)

198 Schaeffler SYMPOSIUM 2010 SchaefflerSYMPOSIUM 2010 199

13 Transmission control units
Figure 10 Quality improvement in the gold wirebond process by laser structuring
Left: Flatness of conventionally printed bond pads on a ceramic substrate
Right: Flatness of bond pads after laser structuring
printed as contiguous areas. After this the line
spacings are laser cut and then the paste fired in.
The result has really “incisive” advantages:
• The process allows for very small line spacings of
35 – 40 μm – in other words, spacings that screen
printing technology alone cannot obtain on a
ceramic substrate. In high-volume production
laser structuring is today capable of realizing line
pitches (= conductor line plus space) of 100 μm (in
comparison to 250 – 300 μm with the conventional
screen printing of gold conductor lines).
 Overall the decrease in conductor lines and
spacings reduce the total area on the thickfilm
substrate required for wiring. On the whole, the
ceramic substrates may end up smaller.
 Decreased spacings allow for denser wiring,
whereby, in most cases, additional metallization
levels and corresponding dielectrics are
eliminated. This saves material, production steps
and, all in all, costs as well.
 The decrease in conductor spacing is
accompanied by an equivalent reduction in
the distances of the bond pads for gold
wirebonding. Smaller bond pad distances than
previously possible can be realized, allowing
for the use of semiconductor chips with a
higher number of I/Os.
The bonding areas can now be arranged not only
much more uniformly and shorter than it was
possible previously with thickfilm technology. As
laser structuring cuts the bond pads out of a larg-
er conductor plane, the bond pads on the sub-
strate are very much more even than those real-
ized with screen printing technology. This further
increases the reliability of such wirebond inter-
connections.
200
By way of summary
the introduction of in-
novative laser struc-
turing of conductor
lines now guarantees
that in-house thick-
film substrates are
suitable for the in-
creasing circuit com-
plexity and density
expected in the next
few years.
Competitive edge thanks to
effective technology net-
working
Innovations in the electronic packaging of control
units result not solely from in-house ideas during
product development. The Continental BU Trans-
mission profits also from active technology net-
working with research institutes, universities,
suppliers and other external and internal units.
Joint research and development projects – often
with the active participation of customers and
even competitors – make possible insights into
other industrial applications and provide innova-
tion stimulus from outside the company. Current
topics that exemplify this are improved packaging
concepts for microprocessors or also new solder-
ing materials aimed at ensuring longer service
life.
Innovative technologies are a top priority at Conti-
nental. In-house basic/advanced development of
technologies is necessary in establishing a techni-
cal edge in the next generation of transmission
controls, thereby guaranteeing the competitive-
ness of tomorrow’s products. Intra-corporate tech-
nology networking – e.g. on design guidelines, new
materials or manufacturing processes – furthers
this goal.
New products by system
integration
Continental and Schaeffler’s automotive custom-
ers are striving for more far-reaching integration
of transmission electronics, sensor modules and
hydraulic units. This cuts space requirements and
eliminates the need for additional interconnec-
Schaeffler SYMPOSIUM 2010
Figure 11 Higher integrated systems and products
tions, and thus reduces costs and increases reli-
ability at the same time. Figure 11 shows which
product levels Continental has covered so far and
which new products will result from further inte-
gration:
The dark blue area shows the scope of transmis-
sion electronics per se, i.e. without sensors, as
found in stand-alone control units as well as in at-
tach-to product solutions offered to Continental´s
customers. The inclusion of sensor modules (areas
in light blue) broadens the functional scope in the
direction of integrated transmission control – a
product form now standard equipment in modern
automatic transmissions (conventional (stepped)
automatic transmission, double clutch transmis-
sion and CVT).
Current product developments as well as new
product inquiries go a step further and incorporate
pump and engine control, too. The nominal capac-
ity typical for these lies in the 150 - 500 W range.
Incorporating these additional functions into a
control unit poses a technical challenge already to-
day, above all because of the high currents and the
extra expense for suppression shielding. If, ulti-
mately, even the valves themselves and the hy-
draulic units (gray area) are included, still more
highly integrated units and products will result for
Continental and Schaeffler. This, in turn, opens the
door to new technical issues, requiring new solu-
tions for their products in the domain of materials
and electronic packaging.
New approaches for elec-
tronic packaging solutions
Automotive electronics accounts for a 5 to 7 %
share of the entire electronics market. Other ap-
plication fields – telecommunications, for in-
stance, industry and military technology – are the
SchaefflerSYMPOSIUM 2010
Transmission control units 13
ones determining the key development trends: in
semiconductor technology, for example, in com-
ponent packaging technology, substrate technol-
ogies etc.
To ensure the success of the next transmission con-
trol generation, Continental has to survey new
trends in the overall electronics world and analyze
their applicability in meeting the specific needs of
transmission controls. Sometimes already existing
solutions (merely) have to be qualified for the high-
er requirements in the automotive sector. Most
often, though, comprehensive adaptations are
necessary (e.g. wider isolation pitches, larger con-
ductor lines for higher current values, specific basic
materials ...) or wholly new solutions (laser struc-
turing on thickfilm circuits is, as seen, a case in
point).
Important development focal points for future
transmission controls are:
 More functionality (with more modest demands
on space) 13
 Systems integration (control electronics, actuator
technology, sensors, mechanical parts)
 Miniaturization at all levels (components,
substrates, interconnections, overall device)
 Cost reduction
 Robustness (higher operating temperatures,
longer service life, lower failure rates …)
In the case of many customer inquiries, a crucial
issue is how much space the electronics will need;
this is especially pertinent with integrated trans-
mission controls. As representative of the focal
topics cited, therefore, a brief presentation is pro-
vided here on future solution possibilities as re-
gards the miniaturization of unpackaged semicon-
ductor chips (Figure 12):
Previous semiconductor chips were assembled by
means of electrical conductive adhesives, followed
by wirebonding. While the process has, in fact, es-
tablished itself, it does require additional wire
bonding area outside the chip, depending on the
number of wire bonds and the bond rows needed
for these connections. Continental is working on
processes for realizing up to four rows of wires
with a wire diameter of 23 μm. This method makes
microcontroller chips with up to 600 interconnec-
tions to the substrate possible (Figure 12 on the
left).
201
13 Transmission control units
Figure 12 New concepts for solutions in the area of miniaturization of chip structures
The size of the transmission controls is determined
mainly by the required substrate area, by the num-
ber and size of passive components, the number of
chips, the chip areas themselves and the areas ad-
ditionally required for wire bonding and for inter-
connections on the substrate. The lowest surface
area requirement for chips at the substrate level
(2D) arises if wirebonding interconnections are
completely avoided and, instead, the chips are sol-
dered on by means of tiny solder depots (solder
bumps) on the substrate’s connection pads. For
system-related reasons, this so-called “flip chip”
(FC) technology assumes that conductor line
widths and spaces on the substrate are compara-
ble to those on the chip itself. Furthermore, the
production technology for populating and inspec-
tion is very complex, all of which explains why FC
technologies have managed so far only to achieve
a niche status. Continental is at work on this matter
too. Technological studies are under way to deter-
mine whether and under which conditions micro-
controllers for transmission applications can be
built employing flip chip technology (center Figure:
Continental test circuit for flip chip mounting of mi-
crocontrollers).
The only way to further miniaturize the structure
of the tiniest 2D solution is to mount it in the sub-
strate (3D) instead of on the substrate.
In this case, the chips are embedded in the sub-
strates by means of various processes. These new
concepts named as “chip embedding technologies”
are currently what’s big in PCB development for fu-
ture applications in automotive electronics and else-
where. Like its competitors, Continental is also pur-
suing approaches of this kind, in the form of research
projects, for example. Continental BU Transmission,
for instance, is presently conducting the VISA BMBF
research project (Fully Integrated Power Electronics
202
Transmission control units 13
Systems in Automotive case of electronics force Continental to renew duction has been completely globalized, with
Electronics). The goal of their efforts to advance the development of factories in Europe, Asia (China) and America.
the project is to embed known materials and electronic packaging con- The company is thus present locally in the coun-
active components (e.g. cepts and to analyze, qualify and introduce new tries in which vehicle manufacturers also have
microcontroller chips solutions. Continental is excellently placed their plants. This enables Continental to close
for transmission con- thanks to its basic development achievements, any gaps in their development and production
trols) and passive com- its active involvement in research projects and know-how in the area of customer-specific
ponents (e.g. resistors) effective technology networking inside and out- transmission solutions for passenger cars and
into circuit boards and side the corporation. Transmission control pro- commercial vehicles.
then test their service-
ability in transmission
applications.
Summary
For the Continental BU Transmission, innovative
technologies are a key factor in the technical and
commercial success of its products and in main-
taining and further expanding its competitiveness,
innovative capability and market position. The sig-
nificance of these topics is quite evident. The right
selection of materials and implementation of new
13
electronic packaging concepts can have a decisive
influence on future transmission controls. This
touches on customer-relevant properties like size
and weight, reliability, quality, eco-friendliness
and, of course, cost.
Transmission controls are wholly customer-specif-
ic holistic solutions. Each product differs from
others in important aspects like functionality, sen-
sor systems, design, service life requirements,
temperature, reliability etc. This explains why tai-
lor-made solutions are always in demand as
means of offering each customer the optimum
technical solution and remaining ahead of the
competition. To this end, Continental develops
self-contained high-volume-grade concepts, as
was discussed using the example of in-house
thickfilm technology.
The whole subject area will continue to expand
on into the future. It is absolutely inadequate to
rely solely on the current stock of material solu-
tions for the development of tomorrow’s prod-
ucts. Material adaptations and qualifications
are repeatedly required even for ongoing high-
volume products – whenever, for example, the
customer changes the transmission oil used.
The customers’ ever more stringent require-
ments as regards operating temperature and
service life as well as increased reliability in the
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